


Resolve

by batofgoodintent (crownedcrusader)



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Teen Titans (Animated Series), Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, and the mystery isnt really a mystery if you know the comics, follows the idea that jason todd was the robin in gotham while dick was the robin in the teen titans, it makes sense while reading it i swear, they refer to each other by their real names than code names, this is a mixture of teen titans animated and teen titans comics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2019-01-15 18:41:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12326670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crownedcrusader/pseuds/batofgoodintent
Summary: (alt title: if the right words exist, let them find our lips)Robin isn’t acting like himself.The rest of the Teen Titans aren’t great detectives, but they’re doing their best, even while their leader shuts them out.





	Resolve

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Who Says You Can't Call Home?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10356585) by [CaptainOzone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainOzone/pseuds/CaptainOzone). 



> Mix of comics Teen Titans and animated Teen Titans. 
> 
> For those who aren't familiar with the comics, Starfire is Kory/Koriand'r, Cyborg is Victor Stone, Beast Boy is Garfield Logan. And technically Raven is Rachel Roth but that was a newer secret ID addition, one she didn't have for a lot of her canon comics history, so I've elected to ignore it.

It starts small.

 

It starts with Kory stopping by Dick’s door early in the evening, only to find it locked. Though the light is off, angry-sounding music plays from inside, and as she listens closer, she can just barely hear the sound of typing, presumably for a case.

Even fainter is the sound of Robin—because he’s not _Dick_ when he’s like this—muttering to himself. “Come on,” he says, _“Come on_.” And he repeats it like a mantra, like he’s looking for something.

He sounds a bit desperate. But Kory knows how he can get, when he’s focused.

And though Kory had intended to invite him for dinner, she knows him well enough to know he won’t be joining them if he’s like this. So, though disappointed, she doesn’t fuss too much. Someone will inevitably slip him a slice or two in a few hours, and he’ll come around the next morning and apologize for not joining them.

She’s not worried. Not yet.

 

It starts with Victor coming to Dick’s room with three slices of pizza, cold after sitting out for so long. Kory had insisted on putting it aside for him, and while Victor knows the rest of them might’ve appreciated an extra slice, he also knows that Dick doesn’t venture out of his room when he’s caught up in a case. They’ll be lucky if he _sleeps_ tonight, so it’s probably a good thing that Kory insisted on getting him something to eat.

But it’s not rock music and angry typing he hears when he gets close enough to knock. It’s the sound of relentless training. Of a punching bag being abused, over and over, with muffled grunts of either rage or exertion or both.

 _Huh_.

Victor decides it’s probably better than the alternative, and knocks loudly. “Hey,” he says, voice booming even across the door. “Got some dinner for you, since you were a no-show tonight. Can I set it on your desk?”

There’s an abrupt pause. But instead of opening the door and accepting it, Dick just answers, out of breath, “Leave it outside, I’ll pick it up in a minute.”

And with that, the punching starts back up.

Victor frowns, but does as asked. Dick’s never reacted to stress like this before, and he wonders what brought on the change. But he decides not to worry—not yet.

 

It starts with Raven feeling an emotion so intense that she’s aware of it even from the confines of her own room. She follows it, and isn’t surprised to find it emanating from Dick’s room.

There’s not a single sound coming from it, though. She can’t bring herself to phase through the door or knock or give any indication of her presence—she feels what he’s feeling, and she knows that there is nothing she can do to help. Not right now.

So instead, she walks back up to her room and researches, grateful for once that Dick comes from a semi-famous family.

It doesn’t take long for her to understand, and to decide to help in all the ways she can.

 

It starts with Garfield wanting a drink before heading back to bed. But as he passes by Dick’s room—shut, with light coming from under the door—he’s curious. After the leader of the Teen Titans didn’t join them for dinner, and has been M.I.A. all night, he can’t really help his curiosity.

…And, as he gets closer, he also can’t help but overhear some muffled shouting.

It’s intrigue more than worry that makes Garfield step closer, pressing pointed ears against the door. But while he knows Robin can have some _issues_ with his temper, he isn’t expecting to hear Dick sound so angry, especially when things had been going well for the team.

“—a _bastard_ , you know that?” he spits, and it’s jarring from the other side. “I don’t care. _You should have called me_ , the _second_ you realized he was—Don’t you _dare_ tell me that, you know I would have been there if I could have! But what was I supposed to do when you—”

There’s the sound of footsteps, of angry pacing, and a voice low on the phone with words that Garfield couldn’t pick out.

“No,” Dick continues, voice hurt and angry. “No, you don’t get to put this on me. I’m not talking to you when you’re like this.” He paused, that low voice answering something back. Then Dick gives an incomprehensible sound, something like disgust and rage all at once, cut short to keep himself from exploding. Then, “ _No_. I mean it. Just don’t do anything stupid until I get there.”

Then all at once, there’s the sound of something hitting the wall and shattering. Something, presumably Dick, sits heavily onto the bed, then sinks into it.

Garfield reluctantly pulls his ear from the wall, then continues into the kitchen. The conversation had seemed personal—maybe too personal to listen in on, he thinks, a little guiltily. But as he knows the least about Robin’s personal life, he can only guess at what had happened.

Whatever it is, it sure has Robin on edge.

Garfield is left with a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach as he grabs a glass of water and heads back to his room. Whatever’s going on, he hopes it isn’t too serious.  

 

\--

 

Dick’s mask is on, but he’s in street clothes when the team comes to gather for mission prep. It’s clear from the get-go that there’s something wrong when he assigns tasks for Raven, Kory, Garfield, and Victor, but fails to add himself into the equation.

By the time Dick’s done giving orders, the rest of the team is visibly uncomfortable, with Garfield shifting in place, occasionally opening his mouth and raising a finger, but shutting himself down before he can actually ask something.

“Are there any questions?” Dick asks, pointedly looking at Garfield, who still won’t speak up.

Victor nudges him to get him to spit it out, but Garfield snaps his mouth shut instead, shaking his head ‘no.’

It’s Kory that finally breaks the uncomfortable silence.

“You have assigned us all mission parameters save for yourself, my friend,” she says, and there is a lilt to her voice that places it as a question rather than an accusation. “Perhaps you would like to join Beast Boy and myself as we search the east side of the city?”

“No.”

While it’s not rare that Robin shoots down ideas with such a flat voice, now that he’s dressed as Dick Grayson—even with the mask on—it’s jarring. Especially with the intensity to that ‘no.’

“Then what gives?” Cyborg asks, crossing his arms and scrutinizing his leader. “You’re just not joining us?”

“No,” he repeats. His voice doesn’t exactly waver, but there’s something off about it. A slight hoarseness, maybe—but he’d never stayed behind from missions just from a slight cold. “I’m staying at the Tower today.”

“For what? Are you sick or something?” Beast Boy gets up close, tilting his head up and trying to get a good look at Dick even under his mask.

As the rest of the Teen Titans looked at each other, Raven only stares at him. “You’ll be fine here by yourself?”

Dick’s hands clench into fists. “ _Yes_ ,” he says. “I’ll be fine here. I have things to take care of.”

Kory gives him a long look, taking note of his mask. Then, her expression softens, and she takes hold of one of the hands clenched so tightly into fists. “Then we shall return safely, my friend.”

Dick stays stock still, tense, and he seems fully aware that his team is watching him carefully. Then finally he pulls away and nods. “I’ll hold you to it. I’ll be checking in on comms periodically. Call for me if anything goes wrong.”

With that, he turns and walks away, his team left staring at his back.

“That was weird,” Garfield says once he’s out of earshot and Dick is behind closed doors. “Everyone else thinks that was weird, right?”

“Very weird,” Victor agrees. “Am I on Dick-duty later tonight, or does someone else wanna volunteer?”

“No,” Raven says. “He’ll be better if we don’t interfere.”

The team looks incredulous, but they seem to understand that she knows something they don’t. Finally, Kory nods. “Very well, friend. We shall leave him alone for now, but I would like to speak with him privately soon, to ensure that he is alright.”

Raven doesn’t look quite happy, but she nods, and the team suits up for their mission without further conversation.

\--

The team comes back unhurt, with the costumed thief turned over to the Jump City Police Department. Past that, Robin advises them over the comms to go through with patrol. But when they return to the Tower, exhausted and hungry, Dick isn’t there to meet them.

Instead, he’s in his room, still in street clothes.

When Kory knocks, she hears a scuffling on the way to the door, and Dick—Robin—is holding his mask to his face, as if he hadn’t had enough time to properly adhere it. She wonders why he feels the need to put it on at all right now, as it’s just _Kory_ , but she kindly chooses not to ask.

“The mission was a success, as was patrol. There were very many small crimes prevented tonight.” She smiles, hoping to soothe the tension coming off of her friend in waves. “Perhaps you would like to join us in some post-patrol takeout?”

“Didn’t go on patrol, not sure I qualify,” Dick says. And for a moment, he matches her smile, but there’s a bitter edge to it—a tenseness, with forced cheer—that makes Kory less inclined to believe him. “Besides—I’m not really hungry.”

Kory’s senses tell her that the room doesn’t smell like food, save for the garbage can with three slices of pizza in it. Her stomach sinks as she realizes that didn’t eat what they’d set aside for him—and she doesn’t know if he’s eaten anything aside from that. “You are certain?” she asks. “There is plenty for you, if you change your mind.”

Dick only manages that terse smile again. “No thanks. Besides, I’ve got a lot to get done tonight,” he says, already taking a step back and starting to close the door. “Give everyone my best.”

It sounds too much like a farewell to Kory’s ears, but she doesn’t know what to do with it. “I am certain they would prefer to hear such things from you,” she says, “But I will let them know. Will you join us for breakfast tomorrow?”

And though she knows she might be pestering him, she needs him to make plans to see everyone. She’s worried—they all are, even if just slightly—and if he is choosing to avoid them in favor of a case, that has never been a good sign. Kory waits for an answer, heart sinking a bit when she realizes how much Dick is hesitating.

Instead of agreeing, Dick smiles and shakes his head. “I think I’ll be pulling a late night. Don’t wait up for me.”

With that, he closes the door, and Kory is left only with a feeling of profound loss. That, and the understanding that something is _wrong_. She wishes that she knew what it was, but Dick is giving his best impression of an emotional brick wall.

 --

Dick does not turn up for breakfast the next morning. Or lunch. By dinnertime, she’s worried beyond belief that he’s made himself sick from overwork. Kory decides she can’t stand the waiting, even for a moment more, and goes to find Dick.

He doesn’t answer when she knocks, and for a moment, she has a faint hope that he’s finally fallen asleep.

Not wanting to wake him by knocking louder, she opens his unlocked door, and starts for his bed.

But instead of a sleeping Robin, she finds an _empty_ bed, and a note left on his closed laptop.

She doesn’t wait to read it herself. Instead, she calls the other Teen Titans, hands trembling with either anger or worry—she isn’t entirely sure which, but she has to focus to keep her powers from activating and burning up the paper.

Victor takes pity on her after a moment, placing a hand on her shoulder and gently taking the paper. As Kory lets her hands ball into fists at her sides, he reads, “I’m heading out for a case. I’ll be back by the end of the week.”

He reads it twice, looking for a secret message hidden between the sentences. But for all appearances, Robin really did leave with no notice, and only two sentences of explanation.

“Not even signed,” Victor says, and his lips pull into a frown. “Definitely his handwriting, though.”

“Yeah, but how sure can you _really_ be, these days?” Garfield snatches the note for himself, holding the coffee-stained paper up to the light as if to check for a watermark. “I mean, we’ve all been cloned at least once. _Plus_ , he was acting weird the other day…”

Raven uses her powers to take the note for herself, enveloping the paper in black and holding it out of Garfield’s reach. “He’s not a clone,” she says simply. “And he left a note saying when he’d be back. He’ll be fine.”

“Pretty optimistic, if you ask me,” Victor says. He looks at his worried teammates, rubbing his chin. “But,” he continues, “…There’s not much we can do without a lead on where he went. Keep an eye out for anything on the news involving Robin—except in Gotham, we don’t need a repeat of last time.”

Garfield looks pointedly away from Victor’s accusatory stare.

“Either learn to tell the difference between them, or don’t go giving me a heart attack every time Jason-Robin’s in trouble,” Victor says, just in case Garfield had forgotten the last hour-long lecture.  

Kory steps between them, and pats Victor’s hand. “No one wishes you a heart attack. Besides, the Batman does not wish to have two Robins in the same place,” she says. “Though I do wonder if it is Dick who wishes to keep his distance…”

“It’s an arrangement that worked for everyone,” Raven says. She pauses for a moment, gauging the confused stares that meet her gaze. Then, she turns around and starts down the hall. “Let me know if anything’s changed for the patrol schedule. Otherwise, I’ll be meditating.”

As she walks away, she releases the note from her powers’ grip. It flutters down behind her, till it rests on the floor with the words facing down.

And with that, Victor, Kory, and Garfield are left alone, with no answers in sight, and an almost palpable worry between them.

All they can do is wait for Dick to return, and hope he will be safe until he does.

 

 

 


End file.
